If you plan to write a book or have already finished your project, chances are you’re looking for a decent editor or proofreader to whip your manuscript into shape—quickly and, of course, cheaply!
With the explosion of self-publishing, the internet has made it even more convenient than ever to find freelancers at your fingertips. For just a few bucks, you can find and hire your entire publishing team—editor, proofreader, book designer, formatter—on outsourcing sites such as Fiverr and Upwork. No wonder many authors are recommending them left and right to everyone and (ahem) their mother, especially if they’re in a crunch for book launches during the holidays—and at just about any time of the year, really.
But here’s why it’s not such a great idea to find freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork.
Low price = low quality. That goes without saying, but how can you possibly complete a developmental edit, a line edit, a copyedit, and a proofread on a manuscript up to 100K words within less than a week for under $500? Yes, believe it or not, Fiverr sellers are advertising something similar to that on their profiles. They most likely feel they have no choice, as the policies of these outsourcing sites heavily favor buyers to ensure the fastest turnaround time at the lowest prices.
As expected, these sellers have done a terrible job. I’ve lost count of the number of self-published books with many basic mistakes. I also had to perform major surgeries on manuscripts edited and proofed by freelancers on Fiverr and other online platforms. To clean up errors, my clients ended up paying a lot more than they should have. An author shares his horror story of hiring a line editor and a copyeditor on Fiverr, although he did have a good experience with a developmental editor, also on Fiverr.
Another thing to consider: Most Upwork contracts tend to be small tasks for lower pay. (This means that freelancers must pick up tons of gigs and work longer hours instead of getting just a few bigger, better-paying projects. Can you say sweatshop?) You probably think you’ll save a bundle that way, but freelancers won’t do their best work under such conditions. Sure, some of them have managed to do that successfully, but for how long? How much longer can they keep this up?
Fiverr and Upwork charge 20 percent commission plus PayPal transaction fee, which lowers the freelancer’s pay even more. Why send more “donations” to the owners of those companies when you can spend that extra money on higher-quality editing by a direct-hire freelancer? You won’t regret the investment.
A good deal of Fiverr and Upwork freelancers, whose primary language isn’t English, are from countries with much lower cost of living. They may or may not have native or near-native proficiency. I’m not against the idea of more people around the world entering the digital workforce, but you have to consider their skills before you think about scoring bargain-basement deals. You also have to take into account the different varieties of English (American, British, Canadian, etc.). Each variety has its own conventions and rules. The average native speaker doesn’t even know all of them, much less someone with limited English proficiency or someone who hasn’t gotten enough regular exposure to English and various cultures of native English speakers by living in an English-speaking country for an extended period of time or frequently interacting in person with native speakers elsewhere.
Human languages in general are complex. It takes the average person many years to develop language skills, and it takes even longer for professionals to refine them. By using cheap services, you’re devaluing the training and experience of real professionals, and you’re gambling with the quality of your project.
Going to outsourcing sites is probably okay for small projects like blog post editing because online content can be easily fixed anytime, but you can’t afford to waste your resources on higher-stake projects like book editing. It takes longer and costs more to fix errors in a book, not to mention credibility issues that come with them.
An exception to my no-outsourcing-platform rule is Fiverr Pro. Sure, the disadvantage is that you have to shell out more dough. Some Fiverr Pro sellers even charge considerably higher rates than those suggested on the outdated Editorial Freelancers’ Association (EFA) rate sheet, the commonly used rough guide in the industry. However, at those rates, which are more in line with standard professional rates, you’re more likely to get better freelancers. In addition, they’re verified by Fiverr.
Limited vetting. There’s no way you can message or email a certain freelancer’s current and previous clients and colleagues to find out how that freelancer is really like. All you can see are reviews from buyers, mostly under their screen names, not their real names.
Even worse, not all of the reviews can be trusted. Buying fake reviews to generate more gigs is quite common, even though Fiverr’s terms of service (TOS) forbid it.
More barriers. You have to use the platform’s communication system to correspond with the seller. It’s the only way to keep in touch. No emails, no instant messages, no texts, and no phone calls.
You and the seller are not allowed to share certain web links for reference relevant to your project. It’s not exactly convenient. Sellers are also not allowed to list their personal websites on these platforms. Fiverr has a list of approved websites where freelancers can display their portfolio. You can get direct access to their personal websites if they list them on those approved sites.
Recommended Options for Book Editing
Don’t limit yourself to just those outsourcing platforms! Many corners of the cyberspace offer a lot more than just cheap editing or proofreading services. The following are worth taking a look:
Professional Associations, Job Boards, and Directories
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
The EFA is an association that provides continuing education for language and publishing professionals. You have two options here: post your request or scroll through the list of freelancers to contact them directly, but first, read the hiring tips, especially under Job List and Hiring Basics.
You typically get a lot of qualified responses in just minutes after posting a free request on the EFA job board. The members also know each other and can vouch for each other, so you’re in good hands.
Aside from editors, you can also request other freelancers (writing coaches, ghostwriters, formatters, indexers, translators, etc.) on this board.
The EFA is headquartered in New York City, so you’ll find mostly US-based freelancers, although there are some members in other English-speaking countries.
Pro tip: For the love of all that is holy and literary, please pay your freelancers appropriately and be willing to learn about their policies and processes without making any assumptions. They’ll thank you by delivering a top-notch, polished product that you can be proud of. (Job boards, directory listing, and outsourcing platforms tend to be more impersonal, so that’s why I’m sharing this suggestion for a more cordial interaction.)
The EFA rate chart is just a guideline or suggestion. Of course, rates vary by region (cost of living), skill and experience, type of the project, scope of the project, and personal circumstance. One size does not fit all.
ACES (American Copy Editors Society)
This association focuses on print and digital journalism, although you can find book editors there.
This is an international listserv (email discussion list) hosted by Indiana University, with a directory list and referrals similar to those of EAE and EFA.
Click on the Freelancers tab and read the directions for finding freelance editors under the Directory of CE-L Freelancer heading.
If you’re of the religious persuasion, this is for you. It’s an excellent site with friendly, warm, knowledgeable professionals.
Social Media
Editors’ Association of Earth (EAE) is a large Facebook Group where freelance publishing and communication pros hang out. You can also interact with them directly and casually in the Group, on their respective Facebook Pages, or via Facebook Messenger to get a feel for their vibes, personalities, philosophies, and viewpoints before hiring them. Rapport is important when working on long projects like books.
EAE Ad Space, one of the EAE’s subgroups, is your one-stop shop for editors, proofreaders, writing coaches, ghostwriters, book cover designers, illustrators, typesetters, formatters, indexers, translators, etc. Don’t be surprised when you get a bunch of Facebook notifications right after posting in the group. It’s actually the norm. Having freelancers quickly chase you down like that definitely beats browsing on Fiverr or Upwork for hours on end! Since EAE is an international group, you can easily find editors or proofreaders knowledgeable in different varieties of English.
Ask a Book Editor (AABE) invites writers to ask editors advice on the writing and publishing process. You’re also welcome to request editors for your project in the AABE Help Wanted subgroup. If you have some questions on book cover design, a couple of designer members in this Group will jump into the conversation.
Freelancing Females is another great Group. You’ll more likely to find certain types of freelancers such as illustrators there.
There are other Groups such as Binder groups for writers and editors, but you can join by invitation only. Connect with me on Facebook to receive it.
Watch out for some Groups. Proofreader Needed Today has many so-called editors and proofreaders whose error-ridden posts scream amateur, though you can find some decent pros there. It’s also generally not a good idea to consult people in many (but not all) writers’ Groups. They usually dish out downright incorrect or misleading advice. They seem to be hostile toward editors and the idea of quality editing.
You can also get editor referrals from Groups and Pages by book marketing and writing coaches, but always check their vibes first. You might want to check out the Self-Publishing Made Simple Community Group and The Overcoming Mediocrity Book Project Page (and its DPWN Dynamic Women of Impact Group), and New and Aspiring Authors Group for starters. I’ll add some more Groups and Pages here in the future.
Because of LinkedIn’s more formal vibe and limited options to contact members, I personally haven’t bothered to spend more time there, so I can’t discuss it further at this time. Your best bet is to ask some editors you can find on the aforementioned sites, as they’re also active on LinkedIn. In the meantime, you can try LinkedIn ProFinder. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
Instagram puts the social in social media. Like Facebook, the huge advantage of Instagram is transparency and ease of communication with prospective freelancers. You get to know editors and fellow writers on a more personal level. To find them, simply search for related hashtags. Here’s a partial list: #amediting #nonfiction #nonfictioneditor #bookeditor #copyeditor #publishing #selfpublished #indiepublishing
You can find more of them on the posts of Instagrammers.
There’s more responsive engagement on Instagram, so that’s why I personally prefer it to Facebook. I think you’ll also like Instagram for the same reason! You’ll be a social media butterfly in no time.
Instagram also has a large close-knit literary community. What’s more, there’s a bunch of avid readers, so when you need beta readers and reviewers for your book at some point, you know where to find them. This is one of the extras that you can’t get on outsourcing websites.
Last but definitely not least, please feel free to connect with me on Instagram.
A Note on Professional Editing Associations and Groups
I generally recommend these associations and groups because of their strong commitment to continuing education and great networking opportunities, and members are serious about their craft. Although I’m also a member of most of these associations and groups, I am not 100 percent in alignment with some of their questionable ideologies and perspectives, so I can’t endorse them in that regard. That said, take the time to do your homework so you can find an editor who fits you best.
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For more tips on finding the right editor and avoiding posers and scammers, grab a free copy of Find a Real Editor that my fellow editors and I have put together. Remember to also tell your friends and colleagues about it!
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